Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-07
ALASKAN EXPEDITION.
ACROSS THE SNOW BOUND COUNTRY
FOR THE STETcHEoN RIVER.

The Mighty Amazon of the North-Trad-
ing with the Native.-Runaway Dogs.
Hospitality to Trayeiers-A Sick Indian.
| Roasting Salmon.
The Stechcon in length. width and vol
ume Of water ranks among the great
rivers OF the earth. Ii is the mighty
| Amazon of the north. IL you can find
any reliable map of this country trace the
| course of this river until it turns west
and you will find trading post called
! Lonata, but as We could gain time In
! going across the country instead of fol-
lowing the river TO this point, we brought
! boats that are a combination II boat aud
sledge. They are the native fiat bOttOmed
! ones, made by stretching sealskin over
| a wooden frame and fastening it there by
walrus skin.
A stirring trade was now started with
! the natives for full supply Of fur cloth
ing for the entire company, and prices
went up 200 per cent, the natives actu-
ally making prices according to the de-
msnd. The garments are fur frock with
a hood attached, fur pants, sack boots
and fur sleeping bag, all with the fur
skins in thickness.
We took possession of a log house built
by some American in the past year, but
now unused. We piled the earth we'll
round TO the height of ten feet and put
up Yankee cooking stove. The natives
looked on with astonishment at the spirit
and energy of the strangers.
To procure dogs was the all important
hut x1yit ha oil In
they were soon obtained, and at high II
one day, some months after landing, we
Set out. We starts |, cheered on by the
shouts and salutes of firearms of those
left behind. We followed the Unirolls
creek the ice over which we drove was
covered with snow that was not hard,
which made the sledging heavy. Soon
after striking this stream the banks be-
came lined with spruce, fir and birch.
Many of the streams were large. One of
the sledges lost a part O; the bone with
which it was shod, making it draw heav-
lily. This provoked the dogs, who we're
no better behaved than they should be.
ran back home.
A clear place on the bank was found
just rs the light began to fade Here we
oeoA WI O ohu PlcpdAtu W Ilhhc ouT
first out door camp in Alaska. Fire was
started, bacon was cooked and invigorat-
ing tea made. Refreshed by good sup
per we rolled ourselves up in our fur
bags and lay down TO sleep with nothing
above us but the branches of the trees
and the blue sky. In the morning we
awoke refreshed, and found that four
more of the dogs had gnawed loose and
left for home.
One driver went back after the run
away dogs and after Harvesting up we
started, some of us helping the dogs in
the hard places. After five hours travel
we came TO an Indian village, and as the
usual custom is to assign house to all
strange people we had one set aside for
us with fire already built, and in order
to keep the heat in the hole in the roof
was covered. The smoke. the retained
smell OF stale fish, the odor Of q group Of
dogs, mingled with perfumes of various
kinds, made it anything but a desirable
place. The hole was uncovered, the fire
replenished and the cooking commenced
The atmosphere was becoming purer
when some dogs who We're fighting on
the roof tumbled through the hole. The
pots were overturned and the room filled
Win tue StlclI Ol burning nalT.
The people of this village were busy
making baskets, fish traps, snow shoes
and sledges. The children were fat and
happy. The owner placed portion OF his
platform at our disposal. We cleaned it
OF dirt. covered il with our furs and pro-
ceeded TO make ourselves at home
Fresh reindeer meat and wild fowl were
procured, and, with hot biscuits, gave us
a good supper
We resolved to await our dogs here and
devote the time to the study Of Indian
life and character. Both sexes use
tobacco. Smokers generally discharge the
smoke from the mouth. In this way
much Of the essence OF the tobacco escapes.
These people swallow the smoke, and in
this way lodge about the stomach and
lungs what would otherwise be lost.
We had an application from a sick
Indian, who asked TO be cured, and said:
Much hurt herer' We applied blister
of Spanish fly, and the next morning the
invalid was in high spirits We expected
TO find the breast raw. but the blister had
only left a clean spot on his skin. The
man was cured, and our reputation as
good and great medicine men was estab-
lished.
Our dogs arrived, and we pushed on
up stream for several days and halted at
another Indian village for rest. Here
several warm springs kept the water free
from ice at all times. Here the finest
salmon abound, and when all other
sources of food fail, give support to the
entire village aud many people round
about. Sticks thrust through one of
these fish as he comes writhing from the
water and held over the fire without fur
ther fixing until roasted, makes = de-
Hcious morscl ht for king
Leaving the stream We struck direct
across the snow covered country for the
Stecheon river. and after eighty days of
hard travel were on its broad surface.
1t seemed indeed a sea, for its opposite
shore was three miles away, with an Oc-
casional island intervening. Over its
snow covered, hunImocky surface we pro-
ceeded cautiously, and arrived nc Lonata
in the early winter or dark season. Now
we would he without the heat or light of
the sun for las days. Here we left the
sledges and dogs and toiled OF snow shoes
up the river until ,00S miles lay between
us and the point where its waters reach the
ocean.-Herbert Bartlett iu The Current
A Return to Nature.
T.. Il. ~